Rejoicing?

Today Acts says the apostles were flogged and then ordered to stop preaching. They left the Sanhedrin “rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name.” These days we can find ample opportunities to suffer dishonor for our beliefs and actions. Three examples: political opposition to the sacredness of life; heightened approval of atheism; the scorn of some people for Christians.

Suffering dishonor isn’t on my list of lifetime goals and probably isn’t on yours. Yet if we strive to live our faith and bring Christ’s love to others, our efforts will meet with resistance. Some people will treat us with dishonor. Let’s not quit. Instead, let’s keep going, keep loving, keep praying for our opponents. Rejoicing in the midst of this? For that, we need God’s healing grace.